According to a release from the City of Danbury, "We have received reports of a bear in downtown Danbury. At this point, bear sightings in Connecticut barely qualify as news anymore, but seeing one strolling through the middle of downtown is still enough to make you do a double take. State wildlife officials estimate there are now between 1,000 and 1,200 black bears in Connecticut, and that number is expected to continue growing. In 2025 alone, more than 12,000 bear sightings were reported across the state, and bears were seen in all 169 Connecticut cities and towns. With the number of bear sightings and human encounters continuing to rise, it's a conversation that isn't going away anytime soon.